SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Schedule | Press Book)The 35th installment of the NAIA Volleyball National Championship, presented by J&L Enterprises, is scheduled for Dec. 2 – 6 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. The City of Sioux City is hosting the event for the seventh-straight season.
The 24 programs, which start action on Dec. 2, are divided into six pools with four teams in each pool. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the single-elimination bracket starting Dec. 5. The championship match will take place on Dec. 6 at 7:04 p.m. CST and will be broadcast for the first time in NAIA volleyball history on ESPN3.
NAIANetwork.com, the NAIA’s official video-streaming home, will broadcast the first 46 matches of the national championship. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, will include live statistics, social media interaction and be available on mobile-friendly devices. Single-championship packages can be purchased for $20, while an all-season pass (up to 17 championships during the 2014-15 season) is available for $75. For more information and to pre-register, click here.
The 24-team field consists of the top 11 teams in the final Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll (released Nov. 16), the 12 National Championship Opening Round winners and host Briar Cliff (Iowa).
Defending national champion Texas at Brownsville, along with Biola (Calif.), Briar Cliff, Columbia (Mo.), Concordia (Calif.), Grand View (Iowa), Midland (Neb.), Missouri Baptist, Northwestern (Iowa), Park (Mo.), Rocky Mountain (Mont.) and Viterbo (Wis.) earned Opening Round byes. Briar Cliff was the only team not ranked in the top 11.
Six of the top 11 also enjoyed a bye in 2013 – Biola, Columbia, Concordia, Midland, Northwestern and Texas at Brownsville.
Opening Round winners from Nov. 22 include: Coastal Georgia, College of Idaho, Davenport (Mich.), Eastern Oregon, Evangel (Mo.), Georgetown (Ky.), Indiana Wesleyan, Jamestown (N.D.), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Madonna (Mich.), Southern Oregon and Vanguard (Calif.).
Defending national champion Texas at Brownsville, who enters the event ranked No. 5, carries a 28-4 record into the championship after winning its sixth-straight Red River Athletic Conference Tournament crown. The Ocelots have taken home two of the last three national titles and are looking to become the first program to win back-to-back championships since former-member Fresno Pacific (Calif.) won four-straight from 2007 – 2010.
Park comes to Sioux City as the only unbeaten team remaining in NAIA volleyball. The Pirates (34-0) won both the American Midwest Conference (AMC) regular-season and tournament titles en route to an automatic berth. Park has dropped only two sets throughout the entire season and swept the last eight contests heading into the event.
Columbia is the most decorated team among the field with 21 appearances, 81 wins and three national banners. The Cougars, whose most recent banner came in 2001, advance out of pool play last season, but fell in the first round of the elimination bracket to Madonna (Mich.), 3-0.
Making its ninth-straight and 10th all-time appearance at the national championship is Concordia. The Eagles, join Texas at Brownsville and Columbia as the only teams in the field to win a title (2012), have won nine-straight matches en route to a 31-2 record. Concordia shared the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) title this season with Biola.
Championship newcomers Coastal Georgia and Eastern Oregon made program history with Opening Round wins. The Mariners avenged their only regular season loss with a 3-1 victory against Embry-Riddle (Fla.), while Eastern Oregon downed California Pacific Conference champion Menlo (Calif.), 3-1. Davenport, Evangel and Jamestown, which had all previously appeared in the event, also won their first-ever match at the national championship with Opening Round victories.
The Cascade Collegiate Conference, Great Plains Athletic Conference, AMC and GSAC are tied for the most teams remaining in the championship with three teams each.
For more information on the 2014 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round and National Championship final site, click here.